Otorishima

Otorishima was a short-lived Japanese Pacific colony that existed during the late 19th century. Located on Wake Island, the colony was founded by Japanese fishermen, who succeeded in negotiating a protectorate treaty with the Micronesian natives. The sparsely populated island was settled by thousands of Japanese fishermen, and they soon far outnumbered the animist Micronesian elite. The Japanese made some efforts to convert the locals to Mahayana Buddhism, with two Micronesian soldiers adopting the new religion. However, the Japanese were unable to make much use of the colony, which was distant from Japan, and which failed to house an Imperial Japanese Navy seaport as planned. In addition, the United States also began to encroach into the Pacific, threatening the Japanese colony. Rather than face US military takeover and possible conflict, the Japanese colonists decided to accept US rule and citizenship. In the following few years, most of the Japanese emigrated from the new Wake Territory as Polish, German, and American immigrants arrived.